B2-Intermediate+

Richard Wagner, Musician

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Music Step 2B Public Step 2 Stories March 30, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 2 Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. He was a famous German musician and writer. He wrote operas, or “music dramas.” Unlike many writers of opera, he wrote the words and music for all his works. Wagner’s music is known for being intense, complex, and... Read more

Country Music Icon: Hank Williams

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories March 29, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 It was the middle of America’s Great Economic Depression. Hank Williams was just seven when his father left. The stress from World War I still burned in his father’s brain, and he committed himself into Veteran’s hospital. Hank’s mother worked. She played organ at church, and... Read more

Newton’s Apple

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories March 18, 2020 2

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) A light wind blew through the garden and shook the trees. From one tree, an apple fell and hit the ground. Isaac heard the sound, and it disturbed his thoughts. At the time, he was walking in his mother’s garden, and the apple had... Read more

Skill with Numbers = Wealth?

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories March 17, 2020 2

From Science Daily (November 10, 2010) summarized at ReadOasis Step 2 A new study in the United States found an interesting result about skill with numbers.This skill is called numeracy. Some married couples scored well on a simple numeracy test. These couples gained more wealth by middle age than... Read more

The Good in Nature (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories March 17, 2020 0

By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 3 In November 2004, the BBC News reported this extraordinary story. Near the North Island of New Zealand, lifeguard Rob Howes was training in the ocean water. He was with two co-workers and his young daughter. Then, like a frightful scene from a... Read more

Playing Global Business on a Level Field

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories March 9, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 A Review of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century By Thomas L. Friedman. We are entering a new era where the world is one massive marketplace. Old powers had the advantage, but the playing field is leveling now. New powers are... Read more

Meaning to Live (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Ideas Protected Step 3 Stories March 8, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Viktor had just married Tilly. She was the love of his life. He was a young doctor in Vienna, Austria. And Viktor and Tilly should have envisioned a bright future together, but Nazi Germany was occupying Austria, and Viktor and Tilly were Jewish. In... Read more

The Honest Truth About Irony

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles March 7, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Many of us know the story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A young husband and wife love each other deeply. But they are too poor to buy each other gifts at Christmas. After much thought, the man decides to sell his... Read more

Driving Motivation (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories March 5, 2020 1

ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Professor Harry Harlow thought that he had created a difficult puzzle. He placed a hinge on a block of wood. A hook held the hinge closed. A pin blocked the movement of the hook. To open the hinge you first had to remove the... Read more

The Future of Water (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories February 18, 2020 5

ReadOasis Step 3 Rajan woke up to the sound of bird calls. He rubbed his eyes, and he heard his mother calling his name. “Rajan! Wake up! We need water for today.” Saying nothing, he got out of bed and got dressed. Then he walked outside, his dark brown... Read more

The iPhone

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Tech February 18, 2020 2

ReadOasis Step 2 Apple Computer has revolutionized tech. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh. It was the first successful personal computer with a mouse and menus. In 2001, Apple released the iPod. With the first iPod, you could carry "1000 songs in your pocket." Today an iPod can hold... Read more

The Festival of Lights

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Culture Step 3A Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles February 17, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 The sky is filled with fireworks. And the home is bright with the light of candles. Little children are dressed in colorful clothes. Their smiles are wide with the tastes of traditional sweets. And they dance to the beat of Indian music. This is the Festival... Read more

The Future on Your Wrist (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories February 11, 2020 0

By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 3 The world was waiting in anticipation. It had been three years since the death of Steve Jobs. Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. Under his leadership, Apple released many innovative products, including the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes, and the iPad. These products... Read more

Violent Games and Young Minds

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories February 4, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Millions of gamers were waiting for the day. On November 10, 2009, the game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" was released. In the first 24 hours, about 4.7 million copies were sold. And the first day of revenue in the US and UK reached $310... Read more

The Singularity (Step 4)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 4 Stories February 4, 2020 0

By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 4 Ashley was born on March 7, 2027. It's her birthday today, and she is 18 years old. Her birthday present will be a new computer. Her budget is 1,000 dollars, and today (March 7, 2045), this money will buy her a very powerful... Read more

Evolution by Natural Selection

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories February 2, 2020 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Evolution is a process of how living things change over time. Natural selection is the basic mechanism of evolution. It was introduced by Charles Darwin in 1859. He compared natural selection with artificial selection. In artificial selection, humans choose traits for breeding. For example, we can... Read more

The Artful Geisha (Step 3)

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles December 21, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as classical music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." Thus, in a literal sense, a geisha is an artist. In the modern... Read more

Captain Cousteau

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories Times December 20, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Jacques Cousteau (June 11, 1910 - June 25, 1997) studied the sea and all forms of life in the water. He was a French naval officer, explorer, scientist, photographer, author, and film producer. "Captain Cousteau," as people called him, became widely known because of his many... Read more

A Giant of Business (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Times December 18, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Black liquid exploded out of the ground and towards the sky. It was oil—black gold—and it had the power to light up homes. It had the power to run the engine of the American economy. It had the power to make a man very rich. John... Read more

Change in 59 Seconds

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories December 16, 2019 0

Change in 59 Seconds By Professor Richard Wiseman ReadOasis Step 2 59 Seconds is about the science of self-help. So one part of the book explodes commonly held myths. So for example, the idea that to motivate yourself, you have to visualize the perfect you. From a scientific... Read more